Able UK says it is “confident” about the future of its major marine energy park development.

The Billingham company is celebrating a significant step forward for the AMEP - Able Marine Energy Project - on the Humber following a £15m grant from Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles.

The £450m AMEP could create a jobs boost for Teesside as well as Yorkshire.

But a dispute over a small piece of land on the development site has resulted in an on-going Special Parliamentary Procedure after petitions against the AMEP were lodged by Associated British Ports (ABP) earlier this year.

ABP wants to develop its Immingham Western Deepwater Jetty scheme at the 12-acre site, and says it is possible for both projects to go ahead without jeopardising the estimated 4,000 jobs that AMEP is set to create.

But Able UK, which supports more than 1,000 jobs on Teesside including 200 direct employees, claims ABP’s solution would make its own development economically un-viable.

AMEP, which will provide a multi-user facility for the manufacture, storage, assembly and deployment of next generation offshore wind turbines and their supply chains, was granted a Development Consent Order by the Secretary of State for Transport in December.

The first hearings under the Special Parliamentary Procedure will begin by mid-October.

Neil Etherington said: “We are confident of the case and that the initial verdict of the examining authority and Secretary of State will be upheld.

“The area of land is small, but it’s critical in terms of the development of the quay.

“ABP is proposing a so-called compromise that would effectively reduce considerably the length of the quay and render the economics un-viable.

“We have the wholehearted and unanimous support of North Lincolnshire council and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership. Mr Pickles’ support is encouraging.”

An ABP spokesperson said: “ABP wants both AMEP and the important Immingham Western Deepwater Jetty scheme to go ahead as quickly as possible.

“We are committed to a constructive approach that can achieve a compromise solution and believe all parties need to work together in the best interests of the region.”

The infrastructure programme is being supported through Mr Pickles’ department with a £15m grant provided through the Enterprise Zone Foundations for Growth Capital Grant Fund, following a successful bid from the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership.

Peter Stephenson, Executive Chairman of Able UK, said: “Mr Pickle’s visit and his Department’s awarding of the grant is, I believe, a huge vote of confidence in our ambitions to provide at AMEP the full range of facilities needed by the emerging renewable energy sectors.”